The FBI says it is “very confident” that Thomas Crooks acted alone in his 2024 attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally, telling Fox News it has found no foreign ties or accomplices despite a wave of online conspiracy theories.
In a briefing to Fox News, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, FBI Director Kash Patel, and a senior bureau official outlined the agency’s conclusions about the 2024 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump by Thomas Crooks during a campaign rally.
“It is the FBI’s conclusion that Crooks acted alone,” Bongino told Fox News, according to a report in The Daily Wire, directly challenging online speculation that others were involved.
According to that report, FBI officials said the investigation has so far included more than 1,000 interviews, a review of roughly 2,000 tips, more than ten search warrants, and about 100 subpoenas. Investigators examined 13 electronic devices tied to Crooks and his family from his home in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and accessed 35 linked online accounts, including social media, banking, and other services. A senior official said the FBI “has been able to access all of the accounts,” disputing claims that strong encryption had prevented access. The official added that foreign-based email accounts in Germany and Belgium were fully accessed within days of the attack with help from foreign partners.
“There is no foreign connection in this case,” a senior FBI official said, according to The Daily Wire. The official said there was no individual, inside or outside the United States and no foreign government, that directed, inspired, or assisted Crooks in the attack.
Patel said Crooks’ home was “completely swept” and that “every device in the home was collected and accessed fully,” rejecting reports that agents had been unable to get into certain devices. Officials also addressed online claims involving an Antifa-linked figure named William Tepes. They said Crooks and Tepes never communicated directly, though Tepes publicly responded online to a YouTube post from Crooks.
Bongino noted that investigators did not find a manifesto from Crooks.
Patel said he and Bongino have overseen the case since they took their posts eight months ago and that they “fully briefed the president, as a victim of this case, at the White House,” where Trump was reportedly satisfied with the findings.
“We are very confident in the outcomes of this investigation,” Bongino said. “We have pulled on every thread. We are absolutely confident, and if information surfaces, please, immediately get it over to us for instant action.”
Bongino, described as personally close to Trump, argued that there was no motive for a cover-up by FBI leadership. He asked what reason he and Patel would have to conceal information from a president who is both their former boss and a personal friend.
Patel, for his part, suggested that social media incentives are fueling continued speculation about the case. “Many people make a lot of money on social media pushing conspiracy theories for clicks,” he said.
Responding to accusations from some members of Congress that the FBI has withheld key information, Patel said lawmakers have been “fully debriefed.” He added that the small amount of material not turned over relates to victims’ rights, and denied that the bureau is sitting on a trove of undisclosed documents.